Certificates

Certificates

⚠IVS is not responsible for maintaining the renewal of certificates that may be installed on your system. We are happy to work with you to provide you with a CSR file or to install the renewed certificate on your VALT system when it is needed. We recommend that all customers set up a reminder to renew the certificate at least a week prior to certificate expiration.

A certificate is a digital file that is used to establish a secure connection between a client and a server (e.g., VALT). It is a key part of SSL/TLS encryption, ensuring that data transmitted between the two parties is encrypted and that the server is authentic.

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▶️ Watch our brief video on this topic!

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How Do Server Certificates Work?

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1. Certificate Issuance

• A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) file and a private key file can be generated on your server.

🕮If you need help getting a CSR, contact the IVS Support Team.

• The CSR file will be sent to a Certificate Authority (CA).
• The CA verifies the server's identity and issues a server certificate.

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2. Installation on the VALT Server

• Once you have the cert, it can be installed, along with the private key, and the CA's root/intermediate certificates.

⚠The VALT cert needs to be applied to multiple services. If it is applied to only the web application, full functionality will NOT be restored.

🕮If you are looking to install your certs, please contact the IVS Support Team.

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3. Client Requests a Secure Connection

• When a client (browser) tries to connect to the server, it will present its certificate.

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4. Certificate Validation

• The client checks if the certificate is valid (not expired, issued by a trusted CA, and matches the domain).
• If valid, the server and client establish an encrypted connection using TLS.
• If not valid, the browser will show an error message.

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5. Secure Data Transmission

• Once validated, encrypted data is exchanged securely.

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What is Expected of Me?

1. Schedule a 1-hour Support session with us over at our booking site.
2. An IVS Support Engineer will either create a CSR file and key file that can be provided to you to generate a certificate (or you can provide us with a wildcard certificate and key file).
3. Once you have the certificate in hand, we will install the certificate alongside the private key and the CA's root/intermediate certificates.
4. After installation of the certificate, the Support Engineer will ensure proper system functionality.

🕮Looking to contact the IVS Support Team?

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Supported Certificates Types with VALT

• Single Certificate with Subject Alternative Names (SANs)
• Wildcard Certificate

⚠Certificates can be provided in PEM or PFX (or PKCS12) format.